Reviews & Ratings

2017 Au Bon Climat White Blends or Varietals "Hildegard"

Winery: Au Bon Climat

Vintage: 2017

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Hildegard"

Wine Category: White Blends or Varietals

Grape blend: 50% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc & 10% Aligote

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Santa Maria Valley

State or country: CA

Price: $35

Cases produced: 675

KWG Score: 93 (based on 3 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Excellent (94)

Review date: April 9, 2020

Wine Review: This yellowish gold colored wine from Au Bon Climat is Excellent! It opens with a fragrant ripe pear and ginger bouquet with hints of almond. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, nicely balanced and round. The flavor profile, like the nose is a very tasty ripe pear and ginger blend with notes of fine minerality, butterscotch, and oak. The finish is dry and its flavors linger and last for a while. This wine is made to be enjoyed on its own. I would enjoy a bottle with friends who like rich and creamy Chards. Enjoy – Ken

Winemaker Notes: A wine named after an Empress has to be exquisite. This wine is barrel fermented and gets extra barrel and bottle time. The barrels for this program are all new Francois Freres French oak. Combining a unique blend with long term barrel aging made something special. The lovely aroma of vanillin and hazelnuts from the oak and the mouth-coating richness makes for a wine that seems like a top-notch Chardonnay. The fruit profile is more melony than Chardonnay and the aromas are more flowery than Chardonnay. Food matches that work with Chardonnay would work fine with Hildegard.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Au Bon Climat 2017 Hildegard.